Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2nd Generation - Tales of the Hero Lords
by JaeganSniper
Summary: 7 years have passed since the Parista incident and the new Craftlord of Iron was named. This was the beginning of a new generation that would lead the City of Swords into an age of glory. Now 2 young Craftknights have been training secretly under the greatest of Masters, in the hopes of claiming his seat as a Craftlord one day. Somewhat interactive for the readers.
1. In Wystern Wakes a Hero

Hello. I'll just start off by saying this will be my very first fanfic, but I've lurked around for a while and thought about making this for quite some time. That said, I can't tell why the hell I'm letting myself go through with this. Not only am I sure no one is going to find this, but I get the feeling that whoever they are wouldn't care that much anyway. I mean this is an old game now. All doubts aside, I guess I'm just doing it because I want to.

Disclaimer: I do not, and will not ever own Summon Night or any of its sequels and spinoffs. I do not own any of its characters, or content. This is simply a new story featuring an already established world and cast from the Game Boy Advance (GBA) title—Summon Night: Swordcraft Story—as well as some new original characters.

If by some strange chance someone actually comes across this story, please leave a review with some constructive criticism. I don't mind if you don't like the story, but be honest as to why and give some criticism that might help me improve in the future. I would ask that there be no flames, but this is the internet, so that is a lot to ask for.

Before I get to actually writing any of the story, I'd like to say that because I am still such a huge fan of the game, I thought it would be best to start off the story in a way inspired by the game itself. That is to say, I will attempt to make two protagonists; one male and the other female. I also hope to create a minimum of 2 original Summon Beasts to allow some diversity between the two. These protagonists and their Summon Beasts will have default names, but I would rather leave them blank, and or refer to them as Hero/Heroine to emulate the feature that allows you to name your character. There are also a few options that reference decisions made in the first game as well. Both of these protagonists have white-silvery hair, similar to how Cleru/Pratty did so just be aware that the upcoming descriptions are about the new main characters. One final note, these 2 protagonists will exist at the same time and will be friends/rivals, unlike Cleru/Pratty.

* * *

Is this character a Hero? Yes? OK.

Is this Hero's name Jaegan Brinehart? No? Then please, write it down.

So this Hero's name is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _?

OK.

This Hero also has a Summon Beast of the Wind element.

Is her name Firiana? No? Then please, write it down.

So this Summon Beast's name is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _?

OK.

Now let the adventure unfold!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: In Wystern Wakes a Hero**

The young man awoke with a lengthy yawn, and followed it with a tired sigh. "Morning already, huh?" The 16 year old sat up in his bed; still in a half awake state. He had slept well enough, but the intense training he had gone through yesterday still had him somewhat sore. He looked at the clock on his nightstand and noticed the time was only 6:00 am. "Still 2 hours left until we need to head over to the Central Tower." He peered over to the other side of his room where his Summon Beast was currently still sleeping. "I wonder if I'll ever be able to send her back to Maetropa."

They had met 2 years ago on his 14th birthday, but he had never been able to send her back home even once. This was a problem that weighed heavily on his mind because he knew that she was the eldest Princess of Maetropa. That meant that she had duties to take care of; ones that she couldn't do because she was stuck here in Lyndbaum. The young man let out a deep sigh of regret, but he had promised her that one day he would help her return home AND help her finish her duties.

"Ah, what would she say if she knew I still thought about it this much? She'd probably tell me that I was over thinking things and laugh it off." The Craftknight in-training finally got out of his bed and quietly crept to his closet to change clothes, hoping he wouldn't wake the sleeping princess in the corner.

He looked around in his closet and found his favorite black pants with a white swirling flame pattern on the upper left leg. Afterwards, he put on his favorite jacket. It was a white color with long sleeves and black cuffs at the edge. However, the right sleeve was a bit shorter than the left one. The zipper of the jacket was black, but the outlining of cloth on the zipper was a deep red. The collar of the jacket was outlined in black, and had a hood to cover his head. The hood had a split down the middle which detailed where half of it was colored black, and the other half was colored white.

He took a look at himself in the mirror near the closet. His mid-length silvery-white locks were naturally somewhat spiky and wild when he woke up; bed head was not his look. He grabbed a brush and straightened out his hair properly. When he was done, the majority of his hair was patted back, but a few strands stayed at the front of his head. Much to his chagrin, the spikes in his hair were still fairly noticeable. The young man put down his brush and looked at the mirror once again. His left eye was still the vibrant purple he had inherited from his mother. Soon after, he sighed deeply while putting his hand over his right eye. The scar he received during his childhood was still as prominent as ever. He almost always kept his right eye closed because keeping it open for too long always made it ache. He could still see with the eye, but it was damaged enough that it was no longer the same purple color his other eye still was. Instead it was a strange whitish color. He hated seeing it, as he thought the contrast of his own brown skin and one purple eye was too distracting—brought too much attention. He preferred to go unnoticed whenever he could but, his own features betrayed that. Tired of staring at his own face, he equipped his red-tinted goggles with a silver frame. Instead of putting them on all the way, he just let them sit upon his forehead. He only put the goggles on for training or battles after all. Finally, he put on his shoes. His shoes were athletic sneakers with a low top that allowed maximum comfort, as well as great movement. They were a black color with a white bottom, and had red laces that he always double tied. He couldn't afford a mistake in the heat of battle.

Now fully clothed, the apprentice Craftknight glanced at the clock once more. It was 6:20 am. He headed down the stairs and began making breakfast. He was the only person in his family that wasn't a mediocre cook, so he usually made the meals for the entire family. He set out enough breakfast for 4 people, but he knew the other 3 family members wouldn't wake easily. He went back up to his room with one of the plates he set out on the table, and left it near the sleeping princess. She had an incredibly keen sense of smell, and he was hoping the scent of food would wake her up. They had a big day ahead of them.

It didn't take long for the Maetropaen princess to get a whiff of her favorite breakfast foods, even if she was half asleep. The scent was absolutely delicious, and she could tell they were only recently baked as well. The delightful scent of buttery chocolate chip pancakes, lightly drizzled in syrup with just a dollop of cream to top it off; followed by a whiff of the light and slightly fluffy scrambled eggs. Finally, she caught the scent of the sausage that trailed behind the other two scents and knew that she was in for something special. She had never had meat before back in Maetropa. She wasn't an herbivore or anything of the sort, but in Maetropa eating was only a necessity for lower class Spirit Beasts. Thanks to her royal lineage however, she was born with the ability to naturally convert the surrounding spirit energy of Maetropa into her own energy, thereby making the need to consume food for energy superfluous. However, she was still curious and ate on occasion, but simply never had the opportunity to try meat. To think that only 2 years later she would be absolutely obsessed with food of all types.

Knowing that only the young man she commonly called master was capable of making such a delicious morning feast in this house, she sleepily mumbled, "Master makes the best breakfast". The summoned princess swore she could already taste it. Suddenly, she found herself fully awake, face first in a stack of pancakes with the top pancake half devoured. She had indeed already tasted it.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty" she heard from the other side of the room. The young boy she had formed her contract with 2 years ago gave her a bright smile. She couldn't help but return it with twice as much enthusiasm.

"Good morning to you as well, Master!" she returned with a dazzling smile of her own. "Breakfast is especially delicious this morning!"

The young man smirked a bit and said "I can tell. It's all over your face after all." He grabbed a washcloth nearby and began walking towards her to go clean her up. Incredibly embarrassed about the whole affair, she turned a bit red as her young master cleaned up her face. "There, all better now. I swear, you're hopeless against the power of breakfast."

Both embarrassed and flustered from her master's teasing, the quarter-human beast princess materialized and expanded her usually non-visible wings, and accidently smacked her master across the face knocking him down to the ground. Her eyes closed for the whole ordeal, she had no clue she had knocked him over, but began to apologize profusely. "Please forgive me, Master! It is incredibly unladylike of me to have made such a mistake. For you to have to clean up after me, it's so embarrassing" she claimed. She opened her eyes only to find that her Master was knocked to the ground and had a mark across his face. After realizing that her wings were showing, she knew she was the cause of that mark. It was an unfortunately common occurrence, so the young man shrugged it off mostly unfazed. "I'm so sor—"

"Stop" her young master said as he put a hand over her mouth. "I'm not mad, and it's not something you have to apologize for" he said removing his hand. "And there's nothing unladylike about enjoying your food. It means you're grateful to the one who made it for you… even if you get a little messy in the process" the young man said as he tried to ease her embarrassment.

Her blush cleared and a slight smile replaced it. "I truly am grateful for the food. To be blessed with such a wonderful Master… I really am glad you were the one I made my contract with" she said with a bright smile. Her wings slowly receded into her back and disappeared once more as her sense of embarrassment passed. He returned her smile and for a moment they were both happy with whom they had received as a partner. Even though in reality he was usually very serious, and she was very proper—they were liable to let their guards down when it was just the two of them. They needed each other. They _balanced_ each other. He could have said something sweet and mushy, but he was sure if the moment got any sweeter they would both have cavities.

"Just… hurry up and eat your breakfast. We have a long day ahead of us" he instead decided to say, as a slight blush formed on his face.

"Oh, you're right! I'll finish up right away!" she said with enthusiasm. She began to eat, and he couldn't help but notice, as he had many times before, the Princess' stunning beauty.

She had smooth, long, flowing hair that hung down to the small of her back. It was a beautiful sea foam green, the type you could only find on the gorgeous beaches and undersea caves of Rugista Island. She had wide, captivating brown eyes that seemed to twinkle just a bit when she smiled. Her ears were pointed ever so slightly, and her lips were thin and pink.

Her attire consisted of a pink tank top that showed her midriff, and a grass green shawl that covered her shoulders; but kept the bottom of the tank top in sight. He tried not to think about it too much, but this only accentuated her… incredibly ample bosom. She wore a skirt the same shade of her shawl that went down just below the knees, which had two vertical stripes on its left side. One stripe was pink and the other was white. On her feet she wore a pair of brown boots that went up to her shins. The boots had two straps on each that allowed her to put on the boots easily. Usually, she would go barefoot, as there are no shoes in Maetropa. But once she arrived in the world of Lyndbaum she wore them whenever she wanted to appear human. She was only one quarter human herself, but besides her slightly pointed ears, she passed as a human flawlessly.

Being of the Wind element, she was able to use the power of Wind to hover effortlessly, but could only fly when she used her wings. Her wings were not directly connected to her body, but instead were a manifestation of the Wind energy she harnessed. Whenever she channeled the energy through her body the Royal Brand appeared on her exposed midriff. The Brand shone with a hue similar to her own hair and appeared as a bird with its wings spread out.

"Master, I'm all done!" said the Maetropaen princess.

"I'm sure I've said it a thousand times by now, but you don't have to call me that Princess" said the young man.

"I know" she responded. "But I want to. In your world, it's a sign of respect isn't it? In this world, there is no one I respect more than you" she continued.

"Well… the feeling is mutual. I have respect for you as well. That's why I still call you Princess" said the young Craftknight. The two chuckled a little bit. It seemed they still maintained a degree of their serious and proper natures even if it was just the two of them. He looked at the clock and saw that the time was 7:00 am. "Time to go, Princess" said the young man. He walked to the door and picked up his weapons of choice, a Spear, and a Knuckle. The two got up and left the house, ready to start a new day.

Once the pair had stepped outside, they were slightly blinded by the light of the sun. It seemed to be a particularly bright day in the City of Swords. He looked out to the open sea of Wystern's new Lower Residential Area. To think that the former Lower Wystern would already be uninhabitable due to the sinking of the city and the old Middle Wystern had adopted its name. While much of the old Lower Wystern was still unaffected by the water, it had risen enough to disturb the average citizens. Sure, the Water Scooters could have helped traverse the water, but once the former Upper Wystern was finished and became the new Middle Wystern, there was little need for the people to try to continue their daily lives there. It was hard to believe 7 years had already passed since the Parista incident and the start of the 2nd Generation of Craftlords. Though that little tidbit about Parista was mostly unknown to the citizens of Wystern.

He looked out to the east of his house and saw the extravagant, but somewhat gaudy Gold Guild. That building was unused now. After the old Lower Wystern was abandoned, Bron used his connections to get a new Silver Guild built on the new Middle Wystern. Not to be outdone, Varil, having heard this news decided to begin construction of a new Gold Guild that would be built on the new Upper Wystern which was still in the middle of construction itself. Even that level of Wystern would be finished soon though, thanks to the hiring of many new construction workers from both Vance and Rugista Island.

Wrapping up his view of the city, he turned to the house next to his. "Time to wake her up" he said as he walked towards the house.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hello once again, and if you've come this far, thank you for reading this. I would appreciate any feedback you have to offer. And should I gain any fans of this work, I would like to incorporate some of your opinions in later chapters of this story. Things like, should I continue calling the protagonists young hero/master/princess, or should I just go by the names I've already created for them?

Some other questions any readers can answer in the reviews:

1\. Should the story feature Cleru, or Pratty as the Craftlord of Iron?  
2\. Who will the Summon Beast be for the chosen Craftlord of Iron?  
3\. Who will be the person/summon they chose on the day they became Craftlord?

I should mention the reason this story is called the 2nd Generation is because like I mentioned before, 7 years have passed since the end of Summon Night Swordcraft Story, and all of the original 7 Craftlords are/will be replaced. I already have 6 of the 7 chosen, but I'd like to leave the 7th up to my readers. So the last question is, who should be the last craftlord? The position is Jade, Ureksa and Rumari's old position. I've thought about it and so far the only person that has come to mind is Omugi, the faceless Gold Guild member who made it to the semi-finals against Varil. The other option of course is to make it an original character. I'll rewrite this as an actual question right below this though.

4\. Should the Craftlord of Jade be Omugi, an OC of my own creation, or an OC taken from one of the readers?

I should mention I'll only let the readers decide if I can get around 8-10 reviewers. If not, I'll just continue with my own plans. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and don't forget to review!


	2. A City of Swords & Flowers

**Chapter 2: A City of Swords and Flowers**

The young man turned to the house next to his and walked through the door. _"The people of Wystern really should start locking their doors"_ he thought to himself. Sure the crime rate in a city where almost anyone was allowed to carry a weapon was low, but seriously anyone could just walk in. His Summon Beast, Firiana was close behind him and she was hovering above the ground to avoid making any noise. It was likely everyone in the house was still asleep.

"Firiana, could you go upstairs and wake her up? I'll get started on breakfast; she's useless unless she eats something."

"Sure thing, Master!" As she headed up the stairs, he grabbed a frying pan and gathered a few ingredients to make some breakfast. He was trying to be as quiet as possible, but it seems he needs to work on his stealth.

"Intruder! You have made a grave mistake!"

The young boy was assaulted from the shadows and put up the frying pan to defend himself from a sword made of ice. "It's just me Isceal! Put down your sword!"

"What? Is that you, young Master Jaegan?"

"Yes, it's me. Now put down your sword!"

"I must apologize, Master Jaegan, I had no idea it was you."

Jaegan looked toward the frying pan in his hand and noticed it was already half way cut through. " _If this iron pan wasn't made by the old Craftlord of Iron himself, Isceal might have actually killed me_ " he thought to himself.

"One of these days, you might actually kill me. But… you're still the only one in this house with any sense of caution, so I appreciate that. You help keep them safe."

"Thank you, Master Jaegan. I appreciate all you do for Lady Amalia as well. Without you, who knows what she would do."

"She'd probably never even get out of bed."

"That's… probably true."

Isceal was the Summon Beast of my best friend Amalia DuPont. She summoned him 2 years ago on her 14th birthday as well, though she was 2 months older than I was. Isceal was an ice spirit from the world of Sapureth, the land of Angels and Demons. He was also the younger brother of the Ice Spirit Kuhyra, who helped the Craftlords of Iron, Shintetsu and his son Cleru, return Parista to Sapureth.

Unlike his brother, Isceal had a more humanoid form. He had long light blue hair that went slightly past his shoulders and a diamond shaped mark on his forehead of the same color. He had brown eyes and a pretty boy face that made him a hit with the ladies. He wore a white kosode and a hakama with a light blue wave pattern splashed across the bottom of the legs. Above it he wore a dark blue vest with white buttons that he kept open. Around his waist, he wore a dark blue sash that matched his vest, but had a light blue wave pattern that was similar to the one on his hakama. He was barefoot, but he was capable of hovering so this was never an issue. On his right hand was a purple isosceles triangle with a line going through it. On his left hand was the same mark, except it was upside down.

"If you're here Master Jaegan, is Lady Firiana already—"

"Yeah, she's waking her up now. I wanted to start on breakfast while she was at it but…"

Jaegan held up the pan to show Isceal the mark on the pan. He had almost cut through it, so it was no longer usable for cooking, but perhaps it could still be used for show. It was of very high quality. What else could you expect from Shintetsu, is what her father would say. He would not be happy about this. He grabbed another pan and started on breakfast.

"I-is that Master DuPont's favorite pan? Oh, he will not be pleased with me when he sees this."

"I think he can forgive us for it, though he'll definitely be upset with us for a while."

"Us?"

"Well it wouldn't have the scratch on it if I hadn't used it to defend myself, so let's just say we're equally responsible for this one."

"Thank you, Master Jaegan, I'm sure that will soften the blow a bit if it comes from you."

"No problem. Why don't you go upstairs to check on the girls?"

"Right away, Master Jaegan."

Isceal went upstairs to find his Master still in the bed with Firiana trying to pry her out of it.

* * *

"Come on Amalia, you need to get up!"

"Just 5 more minutes, Firiana please…" she said in a half awake state.

"My Master told me to make sure you get up! You can't just lie in bed all day, you know we have to go to our training session!"

"I'll be ready in time, just let me sleep a little longer okay?"

"You say that every morning, and it's never true! Wake up!"

"Lady Firiana, there is no use. Just give her 5 minutes. Master Jaegan will be here to handle it shortly anyway."

Suddenly, Amalia shot up in her bed and said, "Jae is here?! Why didn't you say so sooner?! He can't just barge into a young girl's room when she still looks like a mess!" she said, now worried by the presence of her best friend and rival. "Ah, I have to clean the room quick! Isceal, how long until he gets up here?!"

"I'd say 15-20 minutes is an accurate estimate, Lady Amalia."

"Then we need to finish in 10, that guy is too punctual for his own good."

"We?" said Firiana only half surprised.

"Yes, we. I can't finish this in only 10 minutes. I mean the room isn't that messy, I just can't get dressed, fix the bed, and pick up these clothes that quick."

"I don't believe we have any choice in the matter Lady Firiana. I'll take the bed, so if you would grab the clothes, that would be a great assistance." Amalia began changing out of her pajamas, while the two Summon Beasts cleaned the room for her.

Amalia reached into her closet and tried to find something to wear. She refused to let him walk in here to find her only half ready. Not only would it be embarrassing, but she would never hear the end of it either. She finally decided what to wear, and pulled out a white blouse with red accents from the chest to her midriff. She wore black bike shorts and covered them with a short white skirt that went to her knees. Around her waist she wore a blue sash-like belt with a long white parted skirt that flowed down to her shins. On her feet were black boots with blue laces that went up to her ankles. The boots had a unique tread that allowed her great traction in almost any terrain. On her left arm she wore a red cloth armband. On her right arm she wore a lacey white armband with a blue outline.

She was finally dressed but, looking at the clock she only had five more minutes to finish. She stepped in front of her mirror and grabbed her hairbrush. Her long silvery hair was her favorite feature. It traveled down to the middle of her back and she took very good care of it, but it could be a serious pain to deal with sometimes. This was even truer during battle. There were no rules against hair pulling or grabbing pieces of long clothing to catch someone off guard. That was the reason most female Craftknights had short hair. Amalia had considered cutting it short many times, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She wanted to be strong and beautiful like the former Craftlords of Jade and Ruby. Rumari and Kouren were the women to look up to in Wystern. They might not be as relevant as they once were, but the tales of their strength, and the scale of their beauty still held much sway in the city. Returning her focus to her morning routine, Amalia brushed her hair slowly and carefully. Each stroke was delicate, to allow her hair to stay soft and flowing, but still strong.

Back downstairs, Jaegan had finished making breakfast for Amalia's family. He left two plates on the table for Mr. and Mrs. DuPont, and brought the other two plates upstairs for Isceal and Amalia. Breakfast in hand he stepped into Amalia's room only to be mesmerized by the sight of her diligently brushing her silvery hair as it shone in the light from the window. It wasn't as if he had viewed this scene for the first time, but her silver locks were just so beautiful. It wasn't just her hair though either, it was something about her that was different in this moment. She was so calm and focused—so unlike her usual hasty and noisy self. It was nice being able to see a different side of her every once in a while.

"Breakfast!" he said with enthusiasm.

"Jae!" she said slightly startled. "Done making breakfast already?" In truth she was surprised that he was already in her room, but looking at the clock it was already 7:30; she had gone past her ten minute checkmark. She always lost track of the time when she brushed her hair in the morning.

"Yeah, breakfast is all done, I even brought it up to you this time."

"Thank you. I'll eat it in a second, just let me finish up."

"You always take forever to get ready, you know that? I swear sometimes you wouldn't even get up if I didn't come to get you every morning."

Amalia, Isceal, and Firiana all replied at the same time, "That's probably true."

"What bothers me is that you don't even care about the trouble I go through every morning just to drag you to the Tower." Jaegan said.

"Not true. I really appreciate everything you do for me. You even make me breakfast every morning. Not many friends do that. Especially if they're also rivals trying to outdo each other." she said. "Maybe I don't say it enough but, thank you, Jae. You're an awesome friend."

He chuckled a little, glad to know he was appreciated. "Alright, just eat and let's go. If we keep Master Rondeau waiting, who knows what kind of hellish training he'll put us through?"

They both shuddered a bit at the thought. Last time they were late, he made them swim 20 laps around the old Lower Wystern while still in their clothes, then made them fight on the 10th Floor of the Labyrinth for 2 hours without rest. Usually the 10th floor would be child's play for the two of them after 2 years of training from the Craftlord of Diamond himself, but the exhaustion and the slower reaction times from their wet clothes, gave the monsters of the Labyrinth an advantage. Since then they were both terrified of being late, but it hardly changed the urgency with which Amalia prepared herself in the morning.

"OK, I'm done." Amalia said as she put down her brush. She slipped on a small hair clip that was in the shape of an axe to make sure that her hair wouldn't get in her face then slipped a few scrunchies into her pocket to use for later. She preferred to let her hair down, but in battle she kept it up. As much as she wanted to be like Rumari or Kouren who could fight gracefully without worrying about it, she wasn't that skilled yet.

"How do I look?" she asked Jaegan.

"You look great. Now, please hurry up and eat. We have 20 minutes to get to the Tower. I really don't feel like being a ragdoll for Master Rondeau today. The old man is amazing, but I think he likes using us to get his anger out."

"Fair enough. Isceal, let's eat." The two of them ate breakfast quickly, and Jae brought the dishes downstairs to wash them. "Are you ready for today's training Isceal?"

"Of course, Lady Amalia. Whenever you require my strength, I will be there to assist you."

"Thank you, Isceal. Now let's move out." Moving towards her door, she grabbed her two weapons of choice, a Sword and a Drill. She headed downstairs to find Jaegan and Firiana waiting by the door.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready." They looked at the clock and noticed they had 10 minutes left. "We'll just barely make it today."

"As long as we make it in time, he won't give us a hard time." said Jaegan.

* * *

The young heroes and their Summon Beasts stepped out of Amalia's house and began walking towards the Tower. They would be meeting Master Rondeau on the new Middle Wystern. About 7 years ago he lived in a small section of the Central Tower that was connected to an area that was still under construction, but it seemed he had a small house built in an area next to the old part of that tower. The rivals climbed up the stairs on the side of the Tower to reach Middle Wystern as quickly as possible.

Once the group of 4 had made it to Middle Wystern they were greeted by the scent of flowers. They took a moment to indulge in the scent and appreciate it. Flowers were once a rare sight in Wystern, and people were still getting used to seeing them right here in Middle Wystern. They moved forward and saw the flower garden that was planted in the center of Middle Wystern only a year ago. It had many different types of flowers that grew alongside each other. Sunflowers, daisies, roses, a whole variety of beautiful blossoms filled the field. The flower garden had been an increasingly popular spot ever since it had been introduced to the city turning this part of the city into both a common area, and a residential area. Benches and even a fountain were added to the center of the garden as well.

On a bench near the fountain, an old man sat down with his eyes closed as he stroked his silver mane. Not too far from him, a girl around our age dressed in a bright yellow that matched the sunflowers was tending to the fields.

Without opening his eyes the old man said, "You two really know how to cut it close don't you? You have exactly one minute until 8:00."

Startled by how close the cut off was, Amalia and Jaegan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well at least we made it in time, Master Rondeau" said Amalia.

"We definitely couldn't afford to be late. Not after what happened last time" said Jaegan.

The girl in yellow turned around to greet us enthusiastically. "You two slowpokes remind me of another silver haired, goggle-wearing guy I know" she said.

"Hello to you too, Master Razzy" said Jaegan.

"Eh, you know I'm not into all that formal stuff. I mean we're still pretty close in age, and I only became a Craftlord last year. Just keep calling me Razzy."

Finally standing up, Master Rondeau began to say "Well now that everyone is here, let's begin today's training."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So yeah, I have to apologize for my long absence. Well over a month just passed by way too quick. This second chapter was much harder to write than the first because I had to focus on more characters interacting with each other at the same time. I'm going to have to work on that. I also spent a lot of time rewriting this. This was originally 2 slightly shorter chapters, but I decided that their training should be a part of the next chapter. Once again I'd like to thank anybody who read this far along, and yes I will be more consistent with updates. I can't promise one every week, but every two weeks is manageable now that I've made myself a solid outline as to where the story is going. The chapters will likely get longer as well. Just like last time, please leave any reviews or constructive criticism that you may have. I'd really appreciate it.


	3. The Run Around

Chapter 3: The Run Around

The two Craftlords and the apprentices stood in the center of the flower field. The young tan skinned girl stepped forward. She was wearing a yellow jersey that was a bit too big for her, enough that it leaned down her left shoulder and showed that she was wearing a black undershirt with straps. On her legs she wore black bike shorts, but she covered these with a big yellow sash that went slightly past her knees and wrapped around her waist diagonally. On the sash there was one black vertical stripe on her left side. She wore a yellow bandana on top of her head and her neck length light brown hair peeked out of it just a little. She kept a pair of clear goggles with a tan frame on her head as well. She wore a pair of black high top sneakers with yellow straps and yellow bottoms too.

Master Rondeau began to speak, "Today my young squires; your training will be with Master Razzy" he said.

"I sure hope you two are ready for my training!" Razzy said.

"What?" Amalia said in surprise. "This is the first time you've ever had us train with someone else" she continued.

"Are you sure you're not just passing us off to someone else, Master Rondeau?" Jaegan asked.

"Of course not. There are simply some things that I either cannot teach you, or are best taught by someone else. This is one of those things" he said. He continued, "From now on, your training sessions will consist of lessons from the other Craftlords."

"So we'll finally be meeting all of the other Craftlords?" Amalia asked.

"Yes, that's right" Rondeau responded. "I'm sure you know them by name and have already seen them, but now you will get to know them and learn from them. You've already been under my tutelage for 2 years now, building your strength and stamina. Now you must branch out and learn from someone else" he continued.

"Don't worry you two!" Razzy said. "The rest of the Craftlords only have you on loan. Master Rondeau will still be watching over you, even through your training with us" she said.

"That's right. Once you've finished with the others, you'll return to me to begin the final stages of your training" Rondeau said.

"The final stages…" Amalia said.

"We've come pretty far haven't we?" Jaegan said.

"That means all of our training has really paid off, Master!" Firiana said excitedly.

"Lady Amalia, let us continue to push forward. I will not let you down!" Isceal said.

"Seeing you youngsters getting all fired up reminds me of my youth. But that's enough talk. Master Razzy, I'll let you take over for today" Rondeau said.

Rondeau returned to the bench and sat once more.

* * *

"Alright! Today your training is simple—steal my bandana."

"That's it?" Jaegan asked.

"Sounds simple enough" Amalia said.

"Well I sure don't plan on taking it easy on you! Don't be surprised if I fight back!" said Razzy. "Now let me lay down a few ground rules. First, all of Middle Wystern is our area, I won't be on any other level so don't worry about that. Second, you will have 3 hours to steal my bandana. If you fail, you'll have to redo my training tomorrow." she finished.

"Only 3 hours…" said Jaegan. "That's not a lot of time, it'll be tough."

"Well, it certainly can't be easy. Wouldn't be like training if it wasn't at least a little difficult right?" Razzy said.

"She's right about that. No point in training if there was no challenge." Amalia said. "Now let's get started. I'm really excited about this new training!" she exclaimed.

"Very well, let's begin! Rygel, come to me!" Razzy yelled. Now prepared to begin the training session, Razzy dashed off so quickly, Jaegan and Amalia almost lost her.

"Heh, later!" Jaegan taunted Amalia.

"Wait!" she said back to him. However, he and Firiana were already gone. She had no idea where he or Razzy had gone, so her only option was to wander around until she found one of them. "Guess, I'll start searching." she said unenthusiastically. "Let's go Isceal."

* * *

Razzy ran with incredible speed, leaving only a blur behind as she zoomed through the streets. She was without a doubt the fastest Craftknight in all of Wystern, so catching her wouldn't be easy. Jaegan ran after her with Firiana in tow, blazing through the streets hoping to catch her. Razzy looked back and saw that he was gaining a bit of ground but had Rygel fire a Spark Chain to slow him down.

As Jaegan looked towards Razzy, he could see a purple beam of light heading towards him. He ducked and barely dodged the attack, but it had made him lose his momentum slowing him down. He darted his head around trying to find her, but she was already gone.

"I can't believe we lost her so easily." he said aloud. "I knew her speed was incredible but perhaps I underestimated her."

"I wonder how Amalia and Isceal are doing right now." Firiana wondered.

"Probably not much better than us. You know how slow those two are. They couldn't keep up with us, let alone Razzy." he said. "I wouldn't count them out yet though. They may be slow but if they can get her to stop, they have a good chance of grabbing that bandana through sheer force."

* * *

Amalia and Isceal had wandered in front of the Silver Guild in search of Razzy, but with no luck. They had already checked near Master Rondeau's house, as well as the south edge of the flower fields. They were both well aware that they had a disadvantage in this situation. They didn't have the speed to keep up with Razzy; which meant she had to devise a plan to find and corner her before she could retaliate.

"Isceal, I've decided." Amalia said.

"Decided what, Milady?" he responded.

"Just wandering around won't accomplish anything. Let's set a trap right here."

"It does seem wise to devise a plan of some sort. I doubt she'll just wander right into it, but it's better than doing nothing."

"That's right. Set a few ice mine traps around here. It's best if we just lie in wait right here and surprise her."

"Well thought out, Lady Amalia. This may be our best chance at catching Lady Razzy."

* * *

"It's already been an hour. How could it have already passed so quickly?" Jaegan said.

"We only have 2 more hours. If we don't find her soon we'll have to repeat her training tomorrow." said Firiana.

"I'd rather avoid that if we have the choice. I knew she wouldn't make this easy. Both Amalia and I would have trouble against her alone. Maybe we should have stuck together for this one." he said.

Suddenly, he saw a yellow and black blur dashing past the nearby alley.

"There she is!" he yelled. "Let's hurry after her, Firiana!" The two dashed after Razzy, determined to catch her before she could slip away again. Razzy, realizing that she had run right into Jaegan cursed herself for not keeping track of where he was. She kept her lightning quick pace as she had Rygel fire another bolt in Jaegan's direction, but this time he was a little more prepared.

He split to the left to dodge her attack, and was able to keep his momentum, while Firiana split on a path to the right in the hopes that she could cut Razzy off. Eventually their paths reconvened at the fountain in the middle of the flower fields and Razzy and Rygel found themselves surrounded.

"Do it, Princess!" Jaegan said excitedly. Both he and Firiana were sure that they had finally backed her into a corner. The Princess formed a powerful gale that caught both Razzy and Rygel off guard for a few short moments. Hoping to use the gale as a distraction he rushed in and flipped over her head before she could fully react. His hand reached out for her bandana and had successfully gripped it. He didn't have the chance to finish pulling the bandana off of her head, as she jumped upwards directly into him. This caused her to headbutt his stomach, forcing him to release Razzy's bandana.

" _Whoa._ " she thought to herself. " _That was really close, I never realized he had gotten this fast. If I didn't jump up when I did, he might have…_ "

"Dang, so close." he said somewhat disappointed he had failed.

Despite her slightly worried inner monologue, Razzy chose to appear confident and said, "Well, you'll have to try better than that, Jae!" Once again she sped off, leaving him in the dust.

* * *

Back at the Silver Guild, Amalia lied in wait for Razzy, hoping she would soon fall into her trap. She felt as if she had been waiting an eternity, and her patience was wearing thin. The clock nearby ticked slowly, but she dare not look yet. Remembering that there was a time limit of only 3 hours, she changed her mind and instead decided to take a quick glance at it. She sighed heavily upon looking at the clock, noticing that there was only 30 minutes left.

"Looks like this plan was a bust, Isceal" Amalia said.

"There is still time. Perhaps she'll wander into our trap yet, Lady Amalia" Isceal said.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't hold my breath" she replied.

She gazed out from her hiding spot, praying that Razzy would come soon. She looked up to the sky and could see the orange sun slowly beginning to set on the city. It was a beautiful sight indeed. The sun's rays would always reflect off the Central Tower, and at a certain angle the light would bounce off the fountain in the center of Middle Wystern, creating a rainbow that complimented the flowers. It was easily the most beautiful time to see Wystern, as even the residents from the Lower levels and in some occasions, even tourists came to watch it.

"I sure wish Jae and Firiana were here to see this" Amalia said.

"Indeed. I'm sure they would both love it" Isceal said.

The young heroine sighed once more, a bit discouraged that her trek through the city had been only a waste of her own time. Though she knew she was at a disadvantage from the start, such a disappointing outcome was less than welcome. Only one of the two of them had to grab Razzy's bandana to pass, so she was hoping that Jae had fared better than her. Suddenly, she could have sworn she heard footsteps not too far away from her own spot. She prepared her sword and told Isceal to get into position. Considering the speed at which the footsteps were approaching, she was unsure whether the person approaching was Razzy, or her best friend.

"Whoa, what the—?!" a female voice said out of eyesight.

Now sure that the speedy feet belonged to Razzy, Amalia jumped into action and swung her blade at full force.

"Ahh!" Razzy screamed taking a rather serious blow. She knew that hit would probably slow her down significantly. But considering Amalia's speed, if she countered her now, she would have a chance to win. She was just thankful that Jaegan was nowhere in sight. He would have a speed level that was on par with her own if she was injured like this.

"I'll admit, you sure know how to land a blow. I can't believe I got caught in a trap like this. That's just careless of me" she said, upset with her inability to see this coming. "Just don't think you'll be able to stop me after landing only one blow!" Razzy yelled, now determined more than ever to win this challenge. "Rygel!"

Rygel flew up into the air and both he and Razzy were surrounded by a purple aura made of lightning. "Bolt Rain Link!" Razzy shouted. A huge beam of purple lightning fell down upon Razzy, breaking the ice trap that had frozen her in place, and even dealt heavy damage to Amalia.

"She just performed a Link… There's no way we can win alone if she's this serious!" Amalia said, still a bit stunned from the massive beam of energy.

"Please, forgive my incompetence, Lady Amalia. Perhaps if had a bit more experience I could Link with you to even the odds" said Isceal.

"Don't be so hard on yourself" she replied. "It takes a lot of effort and synchronization on both our parts. If we can't Link, it's just as much my fault as it is yours. You haven't let me down at all, so please don't think any less of your own skill" she continued.

Linking was a relatively new technique that Craftknights and Summoners had adopted that allows a Craftknight and a Summon Beast to lend each other power, effectively multiplying the strength of the 2 performing the Link. Amalia remembered the lesson Master Rondeau had given them on it a few months ago. Neither she nor Jaegan could perform a Link with their Summon Beasts yet, but they had learned the basics of it, and even received a demonstration from Master Rondeau himself. Considering her opponent was a Craftlord, she had prepared herself for a rough battle, but she knew this was out of her league entirely.

Suddenly a horizontal vortex of wind slammed directly into Razzy, but before it connected, Amalia was sure she saw a silver blur inside of it. She was sure it was Jaegan. Razzy was blown away by the severe winds the attack created, but was unharmed due to her Link with Rygel.

"Hey, Amalia" said Jaegan. "I knew I'd find you two here after I saw that giant purple light. You alright?"

"A little banged up, but I'll be okay. Why don't we team up on this one?" she said as Jaegan helped her up. "I don't think either of us has a chance alone. She's already performed a Link."

"She's already made a Link? I guess that explains what that light from before was" he said. "Alright, let's work together! If it's the four of us, we can steal that bandana and win!" he yelled enthusiastically. "But remember we only have 20 minutes to do this, otherwise we fail."

"Right! We'll take point and create an opening. You two steal that bandana whenever you see the opportunity" Amalia said.

Razzy recovered and dashed back to where the group of 4 stood. "I won't go easy on you guys, so I sure hope you're ready!" she said.

"We won't lose!" the group of 4 said together.

Amalia charged in first with Isceal right behind her. Isceal fired large spikes of ice toward Razzy, but Rygel broke them all with small but accurate blasts of lightning. Razzy moved forward and her knuckle weapon clashed with Amalia's blade. The two traded blows evenly for a bit longer, but soon Razzy picked up her speed and slowly began to overwhelm Amalia. Though her movement speed was average at best, she was extremely dexterous and responsive, blocking the blows with all she had.

Jaegan watched from the sidelines, trying to find an opportunity to snatch Razzy's headband; but he noticed that she was slowly being pushed back. If this kept up, he was sure that she would be completely overpowered if he didn't do something right away.

"Firiana, fire a gust of wind to separate them! If we don't give Amalia some space she won't last much longer!" Jaegan said.

"Right away, Master!" she exclaimed. Firiana let loose a blast of wind that caught both of the girls off guard and split them apart momentarily. Using the chance Firiana had given him, Jaegan dashed towards Razzy, and attempted to steal her bandana. Razzy recovered quickly and used her speed to dash behind Amalia without her noticing. Jaegan, realizing what she was trying to do increased his own speed to stop Razzy, before she could reach Amalia. His spear clashed against her knuckle as he found himself back to back with Amalia.

"Thanks for covering me, Jae" she said, thankful that he had protected her back.

"Of course" he replied. "This time we should both take her. I'll steal the bandana as soon as we get the chance" he continued. "Firiana! Help Isceal with Rygel while we handle this!"

"OK, be careful you two" Firiana replied.

The two friends readied their weapons once more and charged Razzy. She had no intention of running, so she stood her ground and braced herself for the incoming assault. Jaegan landed the first blow, now with his knuckle equipped, and the sound of weapons clanging once again hit everyone's ears. He and Razzy were now engaged in a battle of flying fists, trying to catch the other with their guard down, but the power of Razzy's Link would not allow her to falter easily. His stamina was draining slowly but surely in this contest of both speed and strength, so he jumped back to allow Amalia to continue the onslaught.

Amalia knew Jaegan would be there to cover her in case Razzy tried something, so she focused solely on overpowering her. In terms of speed, she couldn't compare to Razzy, but in terms of strength she had a good chance of beating her. Amalia struck Razzy repeatedly with heavy blows, and she seemed to be causing Razzy to sweat a bit while doing so. Between one of her strikes, Razzy saw the opportunity to counterattack and took it, but Jaegan interfered once more to keep Amalia out of danger. Barely blocking the strike that was meant for Amalia, he staggered a bit under the force of the blow. Already prepared for the situation, Amalia had switched to her drill weapon and landed a successful attack on Razzy that left her stunned. Having just recovered, Jaegan made a mad dash for the bandana on Razzy's head and gripped the edge. She attempted to jump upwards like last time to keep him from snatching it, but she suddenly realized that she was unable to move. Luckily, Amalia's last blow had pushed Razzy into one of Isceal's still dormant Ice Mines that they had placed to capture her.

Desperate to avoid losing, she called upon Rygel.

"Rygel, Lighting Storm!" she yelled. But upon gazing to where his presence was, she saw that he was being held back by a powerful storm Firiana was creating. His ability to float had turned against him gravely, for he could not fly past the vortex she had created; the winds were simply too strong. Jaegan's hand now had a firm grip on Razzy's bandana, and he pulled it off of her head, completing the task they were given. Her hair had grown quite a bit longer in the past 7 years, and light brown hair trailing a bit past her shoulders flowed down, now free of the restraint that once held them up.

Though in slight disbelief that they had actually done it, Razzy accepted her loss and severed her Link with Rygel.

"Thank you, Rygel. You really helped me out today" she said. "You worked really hard, so why don't you go back home for now?" Rygel said no words, but seemed to nod, before disappearing into the distinct blue portal that carried Summon Beasts to and from their own worlds. She looked at a nearby clock and saw that they had indeed finished her challenge within the time limit, with about 2 minutes to spare. She looked at the four, both proud and sad at the results of their little training session.

"So could someone get this ice off of my feet?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, Isceal, free Razzy from her restraints" Amalia said.

After he had released her, she gave a hearty congratulations to all four of them.

"Nice work you guys! You were able to steal my bandana within 3 hours, which means you have passed my training!" she exclaimed.

"We really did it, everyone!" Firiana said with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, we did it! You and Isceal were great, we couldn't have done it without you!" Jaegan said happily. "And of course you were really amazing, Amalia. I know we're rivals, but having you on my side makes everything a lot easier."

"You were pretty awesome yourself. There's no way I could have done it without you. Thanks for having my back all the time" she said.

"Well, why don't we head on back over to Rondeau. He's waiting for the results of your training."

Razzy and the group of 4 headed back over to the bench in the flower fields to find Rondeau once more.

"Hello there, young ones" Rondeau said. "How was the training?"

"We did it, Master Rondeau!" Amalia said.

"So you have. You've done well my students" he said.

"They sure gave me a run for my money, so I'd say that they pass with flying colors" Razzy said.

"Thank you for your help today Master Razzy" he said. "I'm sure that this was a very valuable experience for all of you." "Today, I hope you were able to learn what this lesson was meant to teach you" he continued. "I wanted you two to learn how to use teamwork to overcome a challenge that you could not win alone. You may be rivals, but you are also best friends."

He continued to say, "As for you Razzy, I wanted to see how you would handle the responsibility of being a Craftlord. It would seem that you have all completed your tasks with flying colors" he said. 'Now, I can tell that you are all tired, so please go home and rest for today. You've all done well. Tomorrow you'll continue your training with me."

"We'll see you later, Master Rondeau" said Jaegan.

"We'll be back tomorrow, it was good seeing you guys!" said Amalia.

 **Author's Note:** I took a little longer than 2 weeks unfortunately, as I was really hoping to keep my schedule, but the point is another chapter is up. If you've read this far along, thank you for sticking around. If you have the time, please leave a review. Thank you!


	4. The Vystane Bridge

Author's Note: So I'm not dead after all. Sorry for the long hiatus but I've been busy with work and school and all other sorts of stuff. I've finally found more time and inspiration for my writing so I'll be coming up more often. Just as a warning this a very dialogue based chapter. This one is all talking and explaining, but it's mainly just a setup for the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Vystane Bridge

A week after their training with Razzy; Jaegan, Amalia, and their Summon Beasts gathered in the Central tower to meet Master Rondeau and receive the details about their next lesson.

"Hello, my pupils" said Rondeau. "Today, your lesson will not be in the city, per se" he continued.

"Well, what does that mean, Master Rondeau" responded Jaegan.

"Good question, young one. What I mean is, you will be accompanying Master Kenon, the Craftlord of Crystal to the unfinished Vystane Bridge" he said.

"The bridge between Vance and Wystern that my father is still constructing?" Amalia said. "Why would we need to go over there?"

"We've come across a few… complications that have slowed down the progression of the bridge, so your father came to me last week after your training with Razzy, asking if I could help him solve these problems" Rondeau said. "I wanted to do something, but then I realized that all of the Craftlords were out on other business, except for myself and Razzy. This problem is best handled by Master Kenon, so I had to put it on the back burner until he returned just yesterday."

"What sort of problems?" Amalia asked, worried that her father might be in trouble. His skill with a weapon was only average at best, so if something bad happened out there worrying was her first reaction.

"Don't worry, so far nothing violent has happened, but that's why we need to send in Master Kenon and make sure it stays that way" Master Rondeau assured her. "Now go, Master Kenon and your father are already on the bridge. They'll give you the rest of the details" he said.

The Vystane Bridge is a huge project that began about 6 years ago. The aim for the project was to create a bridge between the cities of Wystern and Vance. Travel between the two cities is limited to only boats, but because there was no specific ferry between them, people couldn't get from one place to the other unless they owned a boat, or borrowed one. The group of four made their way to the bridge quickly. Once they had arrived at the bridge they were greeted by a Summon Beast from Loreilal and its Master.

"Hello" the mechanical creature spoke.

His master soon followed, "Are you the kids Master Rondeau sent to help?"

"Yes that's right. We have to meet with Master Kenon on the bridge" said Jaegan.

"Good to know" he responded. "Hop into the back and my friend here will bring you to your destination."

The four of us hopped into a metal carriage that was attached to a rail that ran down the right side of the bridge. The left side of the bridge had a similar rail, but no carriage attached to it. The master of the metal creature hopped onto its back and gave a few commands.

"Surge with electricity" he said. "Now connect!" he continued.

Once his commands were given, the mech had created a magnetic connection between itself, the rail, and the carriage. The carriage stayed attached to the rail, but the mech seemed to be floating above it slightly.

"Everyone hold on tight now!" The mech rider said. "The first time is always a little intense, and I'll be going a little faster than usual" he continued.

Everyone braced themselves and seconds later they found themselves jetting down the rail at a high speed.

"Whoa, this is incredible!" Jaegan said in amazement. "How does it work?" He asked.

"Well, it's a complicated process, but the short version is that a mechanical creature from Loreilal generates an electrical current through the rail and the carriage, which activates their magnetic properties. Using the current of electricity, the magnetic force is able to push metallic substances, like my Summon Beast or this carriage. The more electricity we use, the faster the force will carry us" he explained.

"I can't believe something like this is even possible!" Amalia said. "I knew you guys were working on something incredible on this bridge, but this just takes the cake" she continued.

"Well we had to come up with some form of quick transportation, otherwise there would be no point in building the bridge" he said. "Right now it's all somewhat small scale. We can ferry a few workers back and forth no problem, but then it becomes about being able to carry many passengers at once" he explained.

"That makes sense. Wouldn't be very efficient if you could only carry this many people on a single ride to or from Vance" Isceal commented.

"We've been going pretty fast" Firiana said. "How quickly will we be at our destination if we keep this up?" She asked.

"Shouldn't be much longer" he said. "I usually don't go this fast but if I had to make a guess, I'd say we'll reach there in about 3 minutes."

The group of four looked out to the sides of the bridge taking in the view. The crystal blue waters were shining in the sunlight as they zoomed past the scenery. They traveled at a high speed, and their skin was hit with a cooling wind.

"Ah, I love the wind" Firiana said contently.

"No surprise there" Jaegan said. "What else would the Princess of Maetropa love?

"Too obvious, huh?" she responded. "A nice breeze on a sunny day like this reminds me of Maetropa..." she said in a wistful tone.

Jaegan sighed heavily. He was happy that Firiana was his partner. He couldn't have asked for a better one, but he hated that it meant keeping her from her home. Most Craftknights and Summoners didn't have this problem, as they could use their Summonite Stones to send their partners between worlds. Even Amalia could send Isceal back whenever she wants to, though he prefers to stay by her side whenever he can. The only person he could think of with a similar issue was the current Craftlord of Iron. Realizing he had gotten lost in his own thoughts again; he said, "I'm sorry, Princess".

"You don't have anything to be sorry about, Master!" she replied anxiously. "It's not like you're keeping me here on purpose" she said.

"But—"

"Nope. I like being here with you" she said cutting him off. "Being your partner is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It's an experience I would never want to forget" she said with confidence.

He sighed once more, still a little hesitant over the situation. Ultimately, he decided he would let it go for now. He didn't want to argue with her because he knew that was a fight he would lose. What more could he have said about it anyway? Both of us like having each other as partners. Neither of us wants to lose the other.

"Thank you, Princess" he said finally. "I couldn't find a better partner if I searched all the worlds."

"Same to you, Master" she responded.

The group gazed toward the section of the bridge that was still under construction and could see a large group of people in construction gear. As they approached it, they could see a ship that blocked the construction path of the bridge.

"What is that ship doing there?" Amalia asked. "Don't they know we can't build the bridge if a ship that big is in the way?" she continued.

"Oh, you'll find out all the details from the foreman and Master Kenon" the mech rider said.

As the carriage pulled into a stop, they all thanked the Summon Beast and his master for the ride and hopped out. As they walked closer to the group of people, they realized that there was more than one ship blocking the path of the bridge. Upon closer inspection, they realized that there were 4 ships lined up almost perfectly; each one flying the Deigleyan flag—and their cannons aimed at the bridge.

"Whoa, what is a Deigleyan flotilla doing here?" Jaegan asked the group of workers.

One of them answered back, "What are you kids doing here? Who gave you permission to come out here? This is no place for young'uns like you."

"We aren't just kids, we're Craftknights!" Amalia responded with gusto.

The two people at the back of the group turned around and moved to the front, hoping to explain the situation in detail.

"I would know that voice anywhere. So you're the Craftknights that Master Rondeau has sent to help us, Amalia?" Mr. Dupont said.

"Dad!" she replied. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Well of course I am" he said with confidence. "Your old man is tougher than he looks." He moved forward and gave her a big hug. After letting her go he went on to say, "It's good to see you as well Jaegan. Keep watching over this troublesome daughter of mine, eh?"

"Well, I'll try, but you know Amalia—always getting into trouble" he said.

"Ain't that the truth" her father joked.

After punching both of them in the arm, she said in a somewhat defeated tone, "you guys are jerks."

The three of them laughed it off, and even the rest of the construction workers found it hard to conceal their chuckles. Soon afterwards, Master Kenon stepped forward and observed his would-be pupils for the day.

"So you're the ones Master Rondeau spoke of?" he said.

They all turned towards the voice and gazed at the man in front of them.

He was rather tall, standing at 6 feet 2 inches. His short, wild, dark hair was kept wrapped in an ornate bandana with a black and blue color scheme. He wore a plain brown shirt with a blue trim at the bottom, but on top of it was a short black cape that extended to his elbows. The cape had a long light blue line that ran from his shoulders to the ends of the cape, but the center of these lines had the outline of a hollow circle. He wore a pair of baggy black pants with a two-layer trim of brown and blue at the bottom. On his feet was a pair of black boots with light blue laces that had brown tips. His gentle dark eyes seemed to scan over the young Craftknights in curiosity. On his back he carried a 3-pronged great axe that was so big, you could call it comical if it wasn't equally deadly.

"Master Kenon!" the two rivals said together.

"We were sent by Master Rondeau to assist you in any way we can" Jaegan said.

"Glad to hear it. I'll break down the situation for you" Kenon said. "Those Deigleyan ships are here to stop the construction of the bridge. They claim we're building over one of their most common trade routes, but according to the foreman, they put in a lot of research to make sure that a problem like this would be avoided before they even picked up a hammer" he continued.

"That's right!" Mr. Dupont said. "I've studied the trade routes of all of the neighboring nations and cities. Not a single one of them goes through here—I made sure of that before we started the project."

"That can only mean that they're here to cause trouble for us. Don't those Deigleyans have anything better to do?" Amalia said.

"Well, they weren't so active after that incident 7 years ago. Deigleya is a rather militant nation due to the fact that they don't have much land, and the little they do isn't that fertile" said Kenon. "They mostly import from a sister nation they conquered 40 or so years ago, or at least that's what I heard from Master Rondeau" he continued. "However, their population keeps growing, which means they are constantly expanding their nation. They must be getting desperate to pull a stunt like this."

"What do you need us to do Master Kenon?" Jaegan asked.

"Master Rondeau has asked me to handle this matter with care, so today we'll be practicing the art of negotiation, not battle. I will teach you the basics, but you'll never learn if you don't try it for yourselves" said Kenon. "That is to say; you two will be handling the negotiations with Deigleya. I will still be there to supervise and make sure that nothing goes wrong, but I won't say a word unless I deem it absolutely necessary."

"Are you sure that we should be doing something this important if it's only our first time?" Amalia asked.

"The only way we'll know if you two are up to the task is if you try it" Kenon said. "Now a few basic rules about negotiating: One, be very clear about what you want. Be assertive and think about what you need from the deal. Two, listen very closely. Almost everything you need to know to get through a negotiation can be heard from the opposing negotiator. If the air gets too stale and the other negotiator isn't talking as much, ask questions that can't be answered with a simple yes or no. The more info you get out of them, the better. Three, be prepared to walk away if you can't reach a reasonable outcome, and never get desperate. A good negotiator will smell that a mile away, and they will abuse the situation to their advantage as much as possible. Four, all deals are give and take. Never give anything unless you receive something in return. Five, always study your opposition beforehand. If you know what they want out of a deal, offer it to them on the condition that they must return the favor, or to trade something of equal value. Those are the most basic and important rules you need to follow, so keep them in mind throughout our negotiations" he finally finished.

"Let's begin the negotiations" Mr. Dupont shouted to the Deigleyans below.

"Very well. We'll send a few men up in a moment" the admiral of the flotilla said.

A few moments later 6 men including the admiral himself had made their way up to the bridge using a rope ladder.

"Hello there. I am Admiral Koll of the Deigleyan Navy Forces. We are happy to hear that you have decided to negotiate with us" Admiral Koll said. "You wouldn't happen to be the Craftlord of Crystal, Kenon, would you?" he asked.

"I'm surprised you even know me" he responded. "I don't think I stand out much compared to most of the other Craftlords. Though I'd prefer to keep it that way" he continued.

"Nonsense" the Admiral replied. "The tales of your strength and cool demeanor have reached Deigleya, and I have much respect for a warrior such as you. Would I be correct in assuming that you will be representing Wystern in these negotiations?"

"While I appreciate the sentiment Admiral, negotiations will be handled by these two" Kenon said as he directed the Admiral to the two apprentices.

"Two children?" Admiral Koll asked stunned. "You would really let matters like these be handled by some kids?" he continued.

"I assure you Admiral Koll, these 'kids' as you call them have been well trained, and are much smarter than they look." Kenon said. "It would be wise to not underestimate them, lest they catch you off guard" he finished.

"Alright then. We'll take those words to heart" he responded. "Captain Signe, show them the terms that we currently have."

Captain Signe walked up to Jaegan and handed him a folder with a piece of paper in it, listing what they wanted from the negotiations. Jaegan, Amalia, their Summon Beasts, and Kenon looked over the list closely. The 3 main points were they wanted construction of the bridge to stop, a secured trade route for Deigleyan ships only, and absolute sovereignty over a few islands to the east. Attached to the list of demands was a map that showed which islands the Deigleyans wanted.

"Wait, what kind of terms are these?" Amalia asked.

"These are hardly terms for a negotiation" said Isceal. "These sound more like demands to me" he continued.

"We're simply looking out for Deigleya's best interests. Trading and gaining resources are the most important things for any nation" Captain Signe said.

Jaegan took a closer look at the map and realized that the string of islands that had been circled was the Illean Archipelago. It was mostly uncharted territory, as it was a very dangerous area. The majority of the time the islands were protected by a multitude of whirlpools that kept normal boats away. For the short period of time the whirlpools were gone many jagged rocks lined the shallower parts of the islands, tearing apart any boats that approached. The only effective way to the islands was to swim from a boat while the whirlpools were gone. A construction team had landed on the island about 10 years ago in an attempt to build a long dock that would allow ships and people passage to the island. However, the rough waters near the Illean Archipelago always broke apart the dock, leaving the team unsuccessful.

"Give us one hour to deliberate. We'll meet right here and hammer out the final adjustments together" Jaegan said.

"Very well. It would seem you are as crafty as the Craftlord of Crystal suggested" Admiral Koll responded.

The two best friends and their Summon Beasts broke apart from the other groups and began conversing in private.

"Amalia, look at the islands they circled on this map" Jaegan said.

"Wait isn't that the Illean Archipelago?" Amalia said.

"That's right. Looks like those history and geography lessons Master Rondeau gave us will come in handy."

"What would they want with those islands? Not only are they notoriously difficult to reach, but getting resources off of them would be downright impossible."

"I'm not sure. Either they have no idea what those islands are or they know something we don't. Regardless we can't just let them have their way."

"You're right. Whatever those guys are planning, we have to make sure we stop them. What should we do though?"

"What Master Kenon told us to do. Negotiate. As long as we stick to the rules he taught us, we should be okay."

"The first rule was to be clear about what we want and be assertive. We want them to leave the bridge alone, but that won't be enough. We need to make sure that this is give and take, otherwise this will just be appeasing them."

"Right, that's rule number four. We know that they want resources more than anything else right now, so giving them the secured trade route is probably our best bet."

"Sure, but they also want land. I think we should give them this isle to the west, but not for free of course. I think we should allow them to move civilians here but limit their military presence."

"I think that'll work. If we offer to help them survey the island we can take a small cut of the available resources, and maybe even do occasional inspections. If we give them a trade route, and an island, I think we can keep the bridge construction going, and even secure Wystern some new resources."

"It will definitely take some convincing, but it seems like a win for both sides if this plan works."

"Okay, let's go tell the others."

The four returned to the main group of workers and talked with Mr. Dupont and Kenon. After a long group deliberation, everyone found their solution to be acceptable. The group then worked together to write a draft of the contract for the deal. When time was up the Deigleyans made their way back up to the bridge and the final negotiations began.

"Hello, Admiral Koll" said Jaegan.

"Hello—Jaegan, was it? And you would be Amalia, correct?" he questioned.

"That's right" she responded. "We've come to a solution that all of us should be able to benefit from."

"Captain Signe!" the Admiral said.

"Sir!" he responded.

"Step forward! You'll be handling the finer points of this."

"Yes, sir!" Signe yelled as he stepped forward. "Amalia, Jaegan, you know our terms already. What is your counter offer?" he said.

Amalia spoke first, saying "We want to continue construction on the bridge, first and foremost. We've come so far, and stopping now would be unreasonable. We would like to offer you an exclusive trade route and a large uninhabited island to the west in exchange" she continued.

"Here is a contract that states some of the finer points of our terms." Jaegan said. "Take your time to read through it before you give us an answer. The map attached to it shows which island we are offering you" he finished.

Captain Signe read through the contract carefully, and then brought it back to the Admiral and the rest of his company to check if they agreed with the terms. Upon returning, he stated "The Admiral and the rest of our company find your terms agreeable, but we wish to discuss the caveat included with giving us the island."

"I thought that might give us some trouble" said Jaegan knowingly. "Considering where the island is we can't give you the absolute sovereignty that you're asking for. As for military presence, we can allow enough to keep the island safe, but more than that would be asking a bit much" he continued.

"Very well" Signe said feeling a bit pressured. "Should we come under attack we'll be asking for assistance from Wystern. If we don't have enough manpower or firepower to keep us safe, it only makes sense that our partners would lend us a hand, correct?" he asked.

"We can lend a hand should things come to that" said Amalia.

"One last thing. You've stipulated that you'd like 20% of the resources on this island, as well as occasional inspections" said Signe. "We've accepted the inspections, but we'd like to have you decrease your take to 15%" he continued.

"Things are that bad, huh?" asked Jaegan.

"I'm ashamed to say it, but yes. It's not greed, our people need the resources now more than ever" said Signe.

"You're an honest guy Captain Signe. That's a good quality" Amalia said as she smiled.

"If you guys need it that bad we can work it to 15%" said Jaegan. "Let's draw up a final draft and get this squared away" he finished.

"Thank you both. I'm sure that this will help both Wystern and Deigleya in the future."

With both sides satisfied with the agreement, they made a final version of the contract and signed it in confidence. With the main problem resolved the group of 4, Kenon, Mr. Dupont and the rest of the workers returned to the city using the rail. After informing Rondeau and the rest of the city that the Deigleyan ships would be docking in the city for the night to prepare for tomorrow's expedition, Rondeau brought Kenon and his apprentices to his home for a conversation.

"I must say young ones, this is unexpected" he said, surprised by the situation. "To think we would be welcoming a nation that was once our enemy into our ports" he continued.

"We know that it's a bit unconventional, but it was the only way we could have avoided something much worse happening" said Jaegan. "I feel like we made the right decision, but only time will tell how it all unfolds" he finished.

"I think we did pretty well for our first negotiation between two major nations" said Amalia. "It was hard, but doing things like that will help us prepare to become the Craftlord of Diamond" she finished.

"How was there performance in your eyes, Master Kenon?" he asked.

"They did quite well" he admitted. "They managed to make a deal that set neither us nor the Deigleyans back, and will allow construction on the bridge to proceed. If we're lucky, the opportunity they gave us to host the Deigleyans may even evolve into a fruitful partnership" he finished.

"Hoho!" laughed Rondeau. "To have Master Kenon praise you so highly… You've done well today my students" as he praised them. "Head home and rest well, you've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow with that expedition."

"Thank you, Master!" the young apprentices responded together.

The two apprentices and their Summon Beasts left Rondeau's house and made their way back home. Not long after they departed, Rondeau and Kenon continued conversing about the potential of the two young Craftknights, and the dangers they might see on the expedition.

"Kenon. Those two have great potential—can you sense it?" he asked.

"Yes. I haven't seen them fight yet, but they definitely have some skills" he said. "I can tell you've trained them well" he said.

"Well, I do plan on making one of them the Craftlord of Diamond eventually" he admitted. "If they couldn't hold their own they wouldn't make for very good Craftlords would they?" he asked.

"True" he agreed.

"What of the expedition tomorrow?" Rondeau asked. "Do you think they can handle it alone?"

"At the very least I do think you should have one Craftlord go with them" he said. "They may be strong, but who knows what might lie in wait on that island?" said Kenon.

"Master Kenon, I realize my students and I have troubled you enough, but will you travel with them tomorrow—keep them safe?" he asked.

"Of course, Master Rondeau" he responded. "I'll make sure to intervene if things get too hairy for either of them" he assured him.

"Thank you" he said with a wide smile on his face.

"I'll be taking my leave now, good night Master Rondeau" he said.

As the sun set over the city, Jaegan and Amalia had reached their destinations and said their goodbyes for the night. They hoped tomorrow would be an exciting day full of adventure.

* * *

Author's Note: If you came this far, or are still reading this I appreciate it. Feel free to leave a review or give me some criticism on my writing. Like I said at the start, I've finally gotten back into a groove with writing so expect a bit more from me. The next chapter will have action to help make up for this chapter, I promise.


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